There are many ways chiropractic care can benefit you and your family. Chiropractors use hands-on adjustments to help your body function efficiently and heal from within. Chiropractic works by restoring proper motion in your joints. This improves end-nerve function. It increases your ability to participate in activities of daily living. And adjustments help diminish or eliminate pain.
Chiropractic care maintains health naturally and may prevent health complications before they start, minimizing the need for drugs or surgical procedures to keep you feeling well long-term.
Treatment often focuses on your spine, however may focus on other parts of your body (arms, legs, hips, etc.), depending on your needs.
The Benefits of Chiropractic care:
Wellness 
You don’t have to be in pain to experience the benefits of chiropractic care. While treatment varies for every individual, many patients see their overall wellness and quality of life improve with chiropractic care.
Increasing Range of Motion
Your joints, connective tissue and ligaments will change and deteriorate over time, it’s just a fact of life. Chiropractic care helps your body to maintain and improve your range of motion. Chiropractic improves joint mobility and also addresses muscle strength, helping to loosen tight muscles and strengthen weaker muscles.
Immune system strengthening
Many things other than pain or inflammation can be a great benefit of chiropractic care. The nervous system and the endocrine system directly influence your immune system. Because chiropractic care helps your body operate at its peak performance, it can help strengthen your immune system.
Reducing neck pain 
Of course, one of the GREAT benefits of chiropractic care IS reducing pain. Treatment may help ease neck pain by realigning your spine and easing tension in your neck muscles. Neck pain is common, especially if you sit for hours, frequently bend your neck, or have poor posture.
A 2012 study found that 12 weeks of spinal manipulation was more effective than medication at treating non-specific neck pain. Adults at 8, 12, 26, and 52 week follow-ups were a part of this study. A 2019 study found that cervical spine manipulation helps decrease pain by modifying the level of blood neuropeptides. Neuropeptides are proteins, functioning as neurotransmitters and neuropeptides and are made in your nervous system.
Improving nervous system function 
Your spine contains bundles of nerves that connect your entire body to your brain. Your nervous system controls every bodily function, from digestion to immunity. Spinal restrictions can impede your nervous system and cause almost imperceptible changes in how your body works. Chiropractic care removes interference, improving the nervous system’s ability to carry impulses to the brain. This enhances your nervous system function, enhancing whole body performance.
Reducing reliance on opioid pain relievers – one of the great benefits of chiropractic care
Chronic pain patients are often given opioid pain reliever prescriptions to manage their discomfort. However, undergoing chiropractic treatment may lower your need to take these addicitive pain relievers.
A 2020 study compared the number of prescriptions for opioid pain relievers filled for adults. Those who visited just their MD or visited both a chiropractor and their MD to treat pain. Adults who visited both, compared to those who only saw their MD, were less likely to fill an opioid prescription.
Ohio legislation mandates a course of conservative care (including chiropractic) for pain management. Before a prescription is given to a patient.
Back pain
Chiropractic treatment may be a good alternative to more invasive alternatives (surgery or injections) for treating back pain. (Multiple injections for pain control can have devastating side-effects…)
The American College of Physicians recommends encouraging people with chronic low back pain to first seek non-medication treatments before taking medication to treat pain. Some treatment options recommended include chiropractic care (joint manipulation), acupuncture and exercise.
A 2017 review of studies found spinal manipulation was associated with improvements in (acute) back pain for up to 6 weeks.
Digestion Issues 
– an relatively unknown benefit of chiropractic care
Your digestive and nervous systems are closely linked. Nerves in your spine control how your body digests food. Without proper nerve function due to spinal restrictions, this can interfere with digestion. The Vagus nerve supplies your brain with information about your digestive system (and many other organs from the neck down…) Chiropractic care helps this important nerve from your brain function at it’s best.
Chiropractic care may help conditions like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), diarrhea, constipation, and heartburn. Through chiropractic adjustments you may see improvements in the way you feel.
Reduction of osteoarthritis symptoms
Osteoarthritis pain, caused by degeneration of cartilage in a joint, can cause the ends of your bones to rub together. Some types of chiropractic adjustments may help align your joints, reducing pain and aches
A 2020 study found chiropractic manipulation helps slow (osteo)arthritis progression by improving condition of cartilage, bone and the joint capsule.
Easing headache symptoms 
Spinal manipulation may be effective at treating tension type headache and other headaches that originate in your neck.
A 2016 study found multiple sessions of cervical manipulation more effective than movement and exercise for relieving chronic headache pain. This remained true at 3-month follow-up.
Reducing scoliosis symptoms
An important benefit of chiropractic care – Depending on severity, chiropractic may help improve the Cobb angle of people with scoliosis. The Cobb angle is a measurement of how much side-to-side deformity there is in the spine.
A 2016 study found the Cobb angle in a group of children with scoliosis improved after chiropractic treatment. Noticeable improvements were seen after 4 weeks.
Improving posture
Chiropractic treatment may potentially help correct poor posture, especially if your poor posture is caused by too much sitting.
A 2017 case study examined the effect of chiropractic treatment on a woman suffering from headaches, back and neck pain. Her condition, caused by hyperkyphosis, commonly known as a “hunchback” posture. After 30 treatments 6 months, she showed a significant improvement in posture and pain relief in her head and neck.
Improving quality of sleep 
Misalignments of your spinal structures might be interfering with your sleep. And, your mattress and sleeping position may actually be causing your back discomfort. Recommendations for healthy sleeping position, pillow and mattress selection, help remove stress from nerves and spinal structures, promoting better sleep.
Improving athletic performance is an amazing benefit of chiropractic care
Spinal adjustments may potentially improve athletic performance. This could be due to increased joint mobility, reduced pain, and less tissue restriction.
Being a more affordable treatment – who wouldn’t like this benefit of Chiropractic care?
Who doesn’t like saving money! The benefits of chiropractic care include less expense as an alternative to conventional treatment for chronic low back pain.
In a 2016 study, researchers looked at potential financial benefits of chiropractic treatment for Medicare recipients with chronic back pain. They found people who received chiropractic treatment had a lower overall treatment cost. The study also determined that treatment duration was shorter than that of those who had conventional medical treatment.
High satisfaction rates – another benefit of Chiropractic care
Studies have generally reported relatively high levels of satisfaction with chiropractic treatment.
In a 2015 study researchers found that a group of 544 people in chiropractic care reported high levels of satisfaction. 92 percent of people in the study had improvement in their pain levels, and 80 percent reporting improvements in function.
What type of certification and training do chiropractors have?
What does it take to provide the benefit of chiropractic care to patients? Chiropractors complete over 4300 hours of coursework and internship. They earn the postgraduate doctorate degree, Doctor of Chiropractic (DC). Postgraduate studies and the internship period takes 4 years to complete. Chiropractors also must have earned a bachelors degree.
All states require chiropractors to be licensed by the state board of healing arts/medicine . The licensing requirements vary, but all states require a chiropractor to pass the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners exams. Passing these exams ensures your chiropractor has the qualifications to provide your health care. Each state defines the ‘scope of practice’ – what we can and cannot do. With the exception of prescribing drugs, performing surgery and most injections, we can treat any medical condition. When we find a condition not in our scope of care, we refer you for appropriate treatment.
Chiropractors may specialize in particular areas such as sports chiropractic, pediatric chiropractic, extremities adjusting, or care during pregnancy. These often have additional training and certification requirements.